If there’s any silver lining for Coloradans, it’s that we’re the best of the bad news. Colorado’s rates of exercise were at 27 percent, the highest state in the report, apparently no coincidence to the other point of state pride that our obesity rates, while growing, remain the lowest in the nation. The West is best overall, as a region.

Electa Draper is the health writer for The Denver Post and has covered every news beat in a 22-year journalism career at three newspapers. She has a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's in journalism.